As part of the Agrifaune program (partnership between actors in the agricultural and hunting world financed by the OFB, it aims to reconcile production agriculture and the development of small game, wild fauna, pollinating insects, cultivation aids and biodiversity in general), the departmental federation of hunters of Vienne (FDC 86) and the Department’s Chamber of Agriculture co-organized an event on “Honeybee Bands” on Wednesday June 12, 2024, at the Domaine de Myriam Voisine-Blanchard in Pouillé , rural commune east of Poitiers.
This day was dedicated to raising farmers’ awareness of the interests of honey-producing strips within their farms on an agricultural plain biotope:
– encourage the reception of biodiversity and crop auxiliaries (pollinators, etc.)
– improve the management of weeds and flora at the edge of the field
– protect plots against erosion and drying out
– facilitate the movement of animals and insects.
With no less than forty participants, the day brought together a number of farmers from the department as well as agricultural and hunting technical partners (FDC 79, FDC 19/CA 19, regional chamber of agriculture, agricultural cooperatives, etc.) . Testimonies from committed farmers and the results of the Agrifaune program were shared through various moments of discussion, particularly during workshops. During one of them, the participants were able to address the question of valorizing little or unused spaces within a farm. Another workshop helped address farmers’ fears regarding weed management. During the last workshop, farmers, technicians and beekeepers were able to discuss the refuge role of bands for biodiversity and their function as a source of auxiliaries for the agricultural world.
This moment of exchange ended with the presentation of the results of a three-year monitoring of around thirty bands in partnership with around fifteen farmers from Vienne. The final objective of this meeting was to raise awareness of this new agroecological development and to convince new partners to embark on this program. This moment of exchange is already seeing positive feedback with requests from operators to establish new honey beds and volunteer agricultural and hunting advisors to relay information on the ground. A big congratulations to the hunters and farmers of Vienne, partners involved in the protection and development of biodiversity.
